Introducing...

DEACON NELSON GARCIA

After a week of on/off contractions, they finally settled into a pattern on January 2nd- and they were really painful really fast! Since they were about 5 minutes apart right from the beginning and this was our third child, we were told to hurry to the hospital. We got there and were admitted around 4 pm, and Deacon made his appearance at 2:58 am. We were surprised at how long this labor was compared to Claire's, but it was a fairly easy labor and delivery.

Deacon weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces- much larger than his two sisters. Gigi was born at 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and Claire at 6 pounds, 15 ounces. At first we thought he resembled Claire, but as he loses his newborn squishiness, he is starting to have some of Gigi's looks. Now we think he looks a little like each of his sisters. He's going to be a heartbreaker!

and for comparison:

Deacon

Gigi

Claire

Christmas 2008

Christmas this year was wonderful! We woke up early with Gigi and Claire to open presents, and boy, do they LOVE opening presents! Afterward we went to have the big Christmas dinner with many of our friends and their children. We've usually stayed by ourselves on Christmas day, so it was really nice to be around so many that we love. We were also very excited when contractions started. It seems like this pregnancy is lasting forever, so we were hoping that Baby Love might be born on Christmas or soon after. Unfortunately, no luck, but we had a great day anyway!

Gigi and Claire can't wait to open presents with Daddy

Gigi already has a purse obsession

opening presents is hard work

the big gift- a jeep!

Random Pictures

In a moment of boredom, I decided that Gigi and Claire needed to have some girlie time with their Mommy. I pulled out the flat-iron, and decided to see if the girls could get any cuter (as if!). These are the results...

I was also finally able to get the kids' bedrooms mostly decorated. I was beginning to feel like the poor kids would be in plain rooms forever, since I know there won't be much energy to spare once the new baby arrives. Now my girls are sleeping in surroundings that are pretty just like they are! There are still a few things left to do, such as pulling out the anchors that the previous owners left in the wall and patching the small holes, but that can wait until a more convenient time- maybe in a few months when we're not suffering from sleep deprivation!

I'm dreaming of...

In years past, we have either never found it necessary to decorate to exterior of our home, or when we wanted to, it was too darn difficult to get to the top of the house. Now that we have moved to a smaller street and most of our neighbors take pride in decorating for every holiday or season, we thought, "why not!" Here is our first ever attempt at showing the world our Christmas spirit, and we kind of like the way it turned out.

A day of firsts

Yesterday was a record day of firsts for Claire. We had been holding off on cutting her hair, because the curls were just too pretty to shear off, but with the way the sides were growing longer than the back, it was starting to look kind of weird. So, I bit the bullet and trimmed the sides to match the back. She now has a curly bob that is so cute!

Before

After

While were in the process of making ourselves pretty, I decided it was time for Claire's first pedicure as well. She was totally delighted by her pretty pink toes!

Sigh...

Has any other parent ever felt this way? You try and try, and this is what you get for your effort...

Thanksgiving 2008

This year for the Thanksgiving holiday we decided to make the trip through Dallas to Foreman, Arkansas to see family and friends. We stayed with our Aunt Barbara and then met up with most of the extended family for dinner on Thursday. The girls were ooh'd and aah'd over (of course!) and we had great food and a good time!

Gigi and Claire with their Aunt Barbara

On the way back home, we stopped in Dallas to see some good friends. We treated the girls to lunch at Chuck E. Cheese and let them run around and play, and boy, did they have fun!

Gigi sliding out of the hamster maze

Claire loving the clock swing

Those Silly Girls

For Claire's first birthday back in April, the girls' Nana bought a Bounce & Spin Zebra that both little monkeys loved. Well, six months later, it looks like it's still a hit!

Baby Boy's Baby Shower

The big day is almost here and to help us prepare for our little boy, wonderful friends threw us a baby shower. We got all of the women, men and children together for a night of fun and great food. We are now closer to being ready for the big arrival- and even more excited!

the Mom and Dad

Claire's not so sure about this

Miss Social Butterfly

the big party

dancing and twirling

he's already a "Babe Magnet"

Baby Boy

stay tuned to find out more...

sweet Pooh Bear feet

G Monster's Birthday Madness

Well, we're finally settled in our new house. No, boxes aren't all unpacked, but we thought it was time to have a birthday party to celebrate Gigi turning three. We ended up having a blast and not caring that our house was a mess! The kids got to run around and play on the new playscape while the adults were caught up in the UT/Baylor game. We indulged in greasy pizza and decadent whipped cream cookie cups.

Everything was a complete success (and fun)! Happy birthday Gigi!

She got all three candles!

quiet kiddos (for the moment)

Yay, it's my birthday!

yummy dessert!

Glamour Girl

"Say cheese!"

Claire helping her sister open presents